Detroit to Get First U.S. Patent Office Outside of Washington, D.C.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...tellite-office

The Feds announced tonight that Detroit will be the home to the first U.S. Patent Office outside of Washington, D.C. The office will employ over 100 patent examiners plus support staff. Detroit was chosen based on its deep talent pool, its proximity to major research institutions [[WSU and UofM), and because of Michigan's high patent generating activity. The patent office comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Commerce [[CommerceConnect) office that set up shop in Pontiac, MI.

Obviously, this is great news for the Detroit region. It improves Detroit's status as a global city. It also opens the door for future federal government offices, which will continue to add to Detroit's prestige and influence on world affairs.

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Originally Posted by BrushStart

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...tellite-office

The Feds announced tonight that Detroit will be the home to the first U.S. Patent Office outside of Washington, D.C. The office will employ over 100 patent examiners plus support staff. Detroit was chosen based on its deep talent pool, its proximity to major research institutions [[WSU and UofM), and because of Michigan's high patent generating activity. The patent office comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Commerce [[CommerceConnect) office that set up shop in Pontiac, MI.

Obviously, this is great news for the Detroit region. It improves Detroit's status as a global city. It also opens the door for future federal government offices, which will continue to add to Detroit's prestige and influence on world affairs.

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Yes, this helps a lot no doubt. It would be nice to get some international organization[[s) linked to the UN or a major NGO to move to Detroit.

It will be interesting to see where this office opens.

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Originally Posted by DetroiterOnTheWestCoast

It will be interesting to see where this office opens.

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I hope they have the decency to open it in the city. Downtown Detroit would be the most logical location, IMO.

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Originally Posted by BrushStart

I hope they have the decency to open it in the city. Downtown Detroit would be the most logical location, IMO.

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It will be downtown without a doubt.

Now we know who'll be renting the $1800/mo apartments in the Free Press building: patent attorneys.

I mentioned this a while back...it was in the works for quite some time. Other cities are miffed about being passed up by the "token" ad evil Motor City. Hell, Denver was passed by...

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Originally Posted by Patrick

I mentioned this a while back...it was in the works for quite some time. Other cities are miffed about being passed up by the "token" ad evil Motor City. Hell, Denver was passed by...

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That's OK. Detroit is competing as a city now, not just as the Big Three's playground anymore. In the scheme of things I wish these corporations good luck, They have the talent pool it takes to make the stuff that people wish for.

What counts is the city, and its people, and it would do well to wean itself from the corporate mamma. I was just thinking what a Smithsonian annex in the city of Detroit would generate. A project that would develop in the spirit of the 5 Guggenheims; New York, Bilbao, Venice, Berlin and Abu Dhabi. I suppose a huge space, industrial or a series of disused towers downtown maybe with space devoted to the industrial history of the United States. The focus on industry would shed more light on the contributions Detroit has made in that department. I frankly wouldnt want Denver to be the happy recipient of that project. Detroit deserves something like that, not just to celebrate but rather to question the role of industry in our lives. If there were a museum devoted to industrial history, it should be in Detroit.

UM and WSU played a role plus having a lot of technical know-how helped as well. One man I talked to even mentioned that havining a major airport such as DTW helped.

I've heard there's a big push to put it in Ann Arbor...

Now it will be easier for me to patent my "method of recovering metallic copper from abandoned structures" :)

This is a good thing, but would be inventors should remember something a patent attorney once told me. A patent is an invitation to a lawsuit. When you file a patent, you're telling the world, hey everybody, look what I've got. While you struggle to make your prototype or first small production run, big manufacturers, who employ people to keep an eye out for things they like at the patent office, can quickly gear up to pump out thousands of knockoffs. They have the distribution pipeline already set up, too. Whoever gets to market biggest and quickest wins.

It should be up in Tech Town near Wayne State. A patent office could do a lot for the area's entrepreneurial capital and help connect the development along Cass up to New Center. Plus, it would be near 94, which runs right to DTW, and future rail transit.

The main cluster of Fed offices in SE Michigan is within 2 miles of downtown. Of course, the other two large places in SE MI are Selfridge and Tacom. Keep in mind that there are Fed offices around Ann Arbor as well.

Not sure if this means anything regarding location, but from Michigan Lawyer's Weekly:

"The Detroit area will soon be home to the first satellite United States Patent and Trademark Office [[USPTO), and that should be a big boost to inventors, patent lawyers and the entire patent process in Michigan.

The site for the office has not yet been chosen, patent office spokeswoman Jennifer Rankin Burns told Michigan Lawyers Weekly and she said they are working closely with the Commerce Department's CommerceConnect facility in Pontiac."

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Originally Posted by bartock

Not sure if this means anything regarding location, but from Michigan Lawyer's Weekly:

"The Detroit area will soon be home to the first satellite United States Patent and Trademark Office [[USPTO), and that should be a big boost to inventors, patent lawyers and the entire patent process in Michigan.

The site for the office has not yet been chosen, patent office spokeswoman Jennifer Rankin Burns told Michigan Lawyers Weekly and she said they are working closely with the Commerce Department's CommerceConnect facility in Pontiac."

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Does this mean that the patent office is looking to open in Pointiac instead of Detroit?

I heard on tv a couple of days ago [[think it was CNN) that this is a no go to federal funding cutbacks.

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Originally Posted by 401don

I heard on tv a couple of days ago [[think it was CNN) that this is a no go to federal funding cutbacks.

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Fantastic. Just the thing to cut- an office that helps entrepreneurs and businesses develop new products and technologies. Wow is our government stupid.

Prepare to really get mad if for some reason in the near future, it gets placed back on the table, but whoops!-- Some other city/area gets the new "nod".

Here's the official story from Crains: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...fice-plans-for

Next will go the funds for light rail in Detroit

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Originally Posted by Funaho

Now it will be easier for me to patent my "method of recovering metallic copper from abandoned structures" :)

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That's a big ROFL

From The Detroit News:

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...ice-hopes-wane

geez.. thanks, congress...

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/ent...eform-Bill.htm

[QUOTE][Other, less controversial provisions of the bill include language to end fee diversion, a measure that would ensure that the filing fees patent applicants pay fund the Patent Office. Over the years, patent fees have been diverted to fund other government programs, a condition that has left the office strapped for resources and seen its backlog swell to more than 700,000 applications/QUOTE]



This bill has presently been passed by the House Judiciary on April 14. If this bill passes the House, then the PTO will be able to as it pleases with funds collected, rather than fund other agencies. The bill has strong support on both sides of the aisle.